A 15-Year-Old Boy, Son Of A Labourer, Is Braving All Odds To Introduce Children To Education In Meerut

It is not easy to speak for oneself and that too when you are poor, deprived, and son of a daily wage labourer, but there are young social warriors like Shivam who have not only fought for themselves but also for others like him.

The young boy, hardly 15, braving all odds not only got himself admitted to a school but locked horns with many people of his Ukhlina village, 30 kms near here to bring 23 other children like him in the education system. The Uttar Pradesh village is in Meerut Tehsil and is nearly 80 kms from the national Capital.

“It was very challenging. I was caught in the middle. At one side my family had no money to support me but at the same time I wanted to study. Both my parents work as daily wage earners.

shariq hussain

My mother is an agricultural worker, which is a seasonal employment, so I used to financially support the family by working in a badminton racket production unit,” says Shivam, who now studies in ninth class in a government school.

Zakir Hussain, an activist belonging to Kailash Stayarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF) played a key role in convincing Shivam to give up work at the production unit and join regular classes. “After a survey in the village, we came to know that a boy named Shivam works as child labour in a badminton unit.

He used to earn Rs.1000 per month and support his family,” says Hussain. Ukhleena is a Bal Mitra Gram (child friendly village) supported by the foundation run under the leadership of Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi.

shariq hussain

Activists counselled Shivam about advantages of education and admitted him to the nearby government school with the help of Panchayat members. But, it was not as easy as his family depended upon the Rs.1000 that he earned.

“My father told me to take a call. In the end, he supported my decision, and said if you want to become a doctor and serve the villagers please go ahead and be regular at school. I want to build a hospital in my village in the name of Mr. Satyarthi as medical treatment is very expensive and poor people like us cannot afford it,” says Shivam.

Many other children like Shivam were facing identical situation, prompting the young boy to engage with their parents to enrol them into a school.

shariq hussain

“The village elders, KSCF activists and panchayat members’ extended full support to the efforts of Shivam,” says Nischal Tyagi, another KSCF social worker, adding that the young boy with the support of the Bal Panchayat (Children’s Council) identified 26 such children and was able to bring 23 of them to the school.

Shivam faced hostility for his efforts but with his sustained awareness campaigns and engagements with parents of such children, he was successful.